Oil well rope socket tool



April 12, 1966 c. R` I YLEs 3,245,128

OIL WELL ROPE SOCKET TOOL Original Filed May 4, 1961 F/G/ F/GZ I a i `259 2n Kil 2216 202 a 219 2|2 1* /22| 243 l A257 4 2255\- /226 5 1N VENTOR.

ATTORNEY- United States Patent O 3,245,128 OIL WELL ROPE SOCKET TOOL Cecil Ray Lyles, 2101 E. 16th St., Farmington, N. Mex.

This application is a divisional application of my copending United States patent application Serial No. 107,837 tiled May 4, 1961. This invention relates to an oil well tool. More particularly, this invention relates to a device for use in oil wells for controlling other tools or instruments in said well. Yet more particularly, this invention relates to a rope socket device for moving other tools within a well hole.

One object of this invention is to provide a mechanism operable down well and controllable from the surface for controlling the position of components in an oil well tool.

Another object of this invention is to provide an irnproved releasable locking mechanism.

A further object of this invention is to provide a releasable rope socket incorporating the releasable locking mechamsm.

Still further object of this invention is to provide a releasable rope socket.

Other objects of this invention will be apparent to those skilled in the art on study of the below disclosure of which the drawings attached hereto form a part.

In the attached drawings, wherein like numerals denote like parts in the various figures:

FIGURE l is an overall diagrammatic longitudinal view of a rope` socket according to this invention in a beginning operative position, said device being shown broken away in part along section 1-1 of FIGURE 4;

FIGURE 2 is a view of the device of FIGURE 1 in a stage of operation subsequent to that shown in FIGURE 1 and viewed as in FIGURE 1;

FIGURE 3 is a view of the device of FIGURE l in a stage of operation subsequent to that shown in FIGURE 2 and viewed as in FIGURE l;

FIGURE 4 is a cross sectional view taken along plane 4--4 of FIGURE 1; and

FIGURE 5 is a cross sectional view taken along plane 5 5 of FIGURE 3.

According to one embodiment of this invention, a wire line or rope 202 as used in oil fields `is connected through a releasable socket assembly, generally shown as 203, to a fish or tool generally shown as 204. Generally, the releasable socket assembly comprises a shell subassembly 211, a detent subassembly 212, a tubular sleeve subassembly 213, and a spring 214, as shown in FIGURE 1 in its tool supporting position. Y

i The shell subassembly 211 comprises an elongated thick walled tube, section 216, connected to a tubular downward extension thereof, section 217, with thinner walls; the thick walled section and the thin walled section both have the same outer diameter and are joined together by an inner shoulder 218; the thicker wall section 216 is provided with an external annular recess or groove 219; the external annular groove 219 is coaxial with the central longitudinal axis of the cylindrical tube 216. This groove has an upper upwardly and outwardly sloped outer ICC shoulder 220 and a lower downwardly and outwardly sloped outer shoulder 221, the lower shoulder 221 is above the level of the inner shoulder 218. The slope of those shoulders (45) permits the locking balls to move in and out of such recess or -groove readily. The depth of recess or groove 219 is suiiicient to provide a strong locking action between the detent subassembly 212 and the shell subassembly 211.

The detent subassembly 212 is comprised of a tubular member having two portions. The lower thicker portion is comprised of a hollow cylindrical tubular detent lball retaining member 225 provided with thick walls and a plurality of equi-spaced conically shaped passageways therethrough indicated as 226, 227, 228, 229, 230 and 231. Each of these passageways has an orifice opening to the interior surface 233 of the tubular detent ball retaining member 225 which orifice is smaller than the orifice of each such passageway opening to the outer surface 234 of said tubular detent ball retaining member 225. These passageways are all arranged with their center in a plane normal to the axis of the tubular detent ball retaining member 225. The inner surface 233 of the tubular detent ball retaining member 225 and the outer surface 235 of the shell subassembly 211 are slightly spaced away from each other allowing a smooth sliding action therebetween.

Spherical balls as 236, 237, 238, 239, 240 and 241, respectively, are each located in each of the passegways 226, 227, 228, 229, 230 and 231 therefor, respectively. The diameter of each of these balls is greater than the diameter of the orice of each of said passageways opening to the interior surface 233 of the tubular detent ball retaining member 225. The axis of the cone defining the conical surface of each of said passageways 226 through 231 is normal to the longitudinal axis of the tubular detent ball retaining member 225. The thickness of the tubular detent ball retaining member 225 is J/2 the diameter of a ball such as 236 through 241. The diameter of the orifices of each of the passageways, as 226 to 231, opening to the interior surface 233 of the tubular detent ball retaining member 225, is suiiiciently large so that when said balls rest on the inner surface of the tubular sleeve member 248 as shown in FIGURES 1 and 4 such balls project through the orifices of such passageways interiorly therefrom for the depth of the annular recess or groove 219 which depth about Vs the diameter of said balls. However, the size of the orifice of each such passageway is less than the size of the balls and the conical taper of the passageway walls provide, as in elements 39 and 139 described in my co-pending patent application Serial No. 107,837, that such balls may not escape from passageways 236 through 241.

Above the thick walled tubular detent ball retaining member 225 of the detent subassembly 212, is a narrower tubular locking portion 243 separated from the thicker tubular detent ball retaining member 225 by a shoulder 244. The inner surface 233 of tubular detent ball retaining member 225 and tubular locking portion 243 are coextensive with each other. A collar 245 is provided at the upper end of the tubular locking portion 243 and extends laterally over the upper end of tubular sleeve member 248. The upper portion of tubular sleeve member 248 forms a shoulder 257 below a collar 255.

The tubular sleeve subassembly 213 comprises a tubular sleeve 248 and a coupling y249 provided with a female socket 250 and a male threaded socket portion 251; the male threaded socket portion 251 has a lesser internal diameter than does the tubular sleeve member 248 and provides a shoulder 252. The tubular sleeve member 248 is firmly attached, as :by screwing, onto the male threaded socket portion 251. At its upper end the tubular sleeve member 248 is provided with an internal annular recess 254 which is coaxial to the longitudinal axis of the tubular sleeve member 248: the shape of the recess is lhemispherical in cross section opening into the inner surface of tubular sleeve member 248 with an obtuse angle of about 130. The depth of this recess from the interior surface of tubular sleeve member 248 is :s to 1/2 the diameter of the locking balls as 236 to 241. This provides a sufficient depth for the balls therein to completely avoid any contact with vthe annular recess 219. The angle of meeting of such recess wit-h the passageways 236 through 241 is small enough to permit the balls to move in and out of such recess readily. The shape of the recess matches a diametral cros-s-section of such balls for reception thereof. A collar 255 is provided at the top of tubular sleeve member 248. The internal diameter of the male threaded s-ocket portion 2511 is slightly larger than and slidably fits over the outside of the thin walled tubular section 217 of the shell subassembly 211.

The inner surface of the collar 255 is a hollow cylinder which provides a slidable kfit for the tubular locking portion 243 of the detent subassembly 212. A compression spring 214 is firmly located Ibetween the shoulder 252 and the bottom edge 246 of the tubular detent ball retaining member 225.

In operation, the wire cable 202 supports the releasable socket subassembly '3 and a tool 204 therebelow. Accordin-gly, the position of the tool 204 may be controlled to be placed in a position as desired. Upon the positioning of the well tool 2014 at such level as is desired a tubular Weight, as 2519, which encircles the rope 202 andhas a greater internal diameter than the external diameter of tube 217, may be dropped down the well. This Weight will strike the upper shoulder of the collar 245 (as shown in FIGURE 2) and depress the detent ball retaining member with respect to the tubular sleeve member 24S to an extent equal tothe height which the lower portion of the collar 245 extends above the upper portion of the collar 255 of 4the tubular sleeve subassernbly 213. Thereupon, the ring of detent retaining passageways 226 through 231 is moved downwardly with respect to the tubular sleeve member 248 and is brought into registration with the internal annular recess 254. Inasmuoh as the total 0f the depth of the annular recess 254 and the thickness of the tubular detent ball retaining member 225 i-s at least as great as the diameter of the balls 236 through `241 carried in those passageways, the weight 259 maintains the collar of the subasse-mbly in its position as shown in FIGURE 2 by overcoming the upward force of the spring, such detent balls offer no opposition to the movement of the section 217 past such balls as shown in FIGURE 3 and, accordingly, permit the ready removal of the wire yline 202 with shell subassernbly 21,'1 from the releasable socket assembly 203, as shown in FIGURE 3.

At the surface, the wire line 202 is readily inserted in the releaseable socket lassembly 203 by depressing the collar 245 to avoid that the balls 236 through 241 would project inwardly, `as in FIGURES 1 and 4, and prevent such insertion of the shell subassembly 2111 into the tubular sleeve subassembly 213; accordingly, the collar 245 contacts the collar 255 and the lpassageways226 through 231 are brought into registration with the annular recess 254: this permits the shell sub-assembly 211 to be located in place as shown in FIGURE 2.

On release of the collar 245 the spring 214 expands and -moves the detent bal-l retaining member 225 into a position shown in FIGURE 1 whereat the ball-s 236 through 241 serve to lock the tubular section 216 to the tubular detent ball retaining member 225 as shown in FIGURE l. In such position the weight of the tool 204 passes by socket 250 to tubular sleeve member 248 to shoulder 257 of collar 255 and thence to detent ball retaining member 225 and the walls of the passageways 226 through 23d; thence to balls 236 through 241, respectively therein. The balls transmit the load to lower shoulder 221 of annular recess or groove 219, the section 216, and shoulder 218, especially with babbit 222, and pass the load to t-he wire line 202. The wire line 202 then .supports the socket assembly 203 and the fish 204 until such are lowered into a position in the well where release of such tool is desired, which is accomplished as above described.

The fish 204 and the releasable socket assembly 203 may be -recovered by conventional fishing tools or, preferably by a device as shown in my co-pending U.S. patent application Serial No. 97,287 filed March 2l, 1961, in FlGURE l2 (now U.S. Patent 3,186,745 issued June l, 1965).

Having thus described a preferred embodiment of the means by which the obfjects of this invention are obtained, modifications thereof within the skill of the art are intended to be included within the scope of the appended claims.

I claim:

1. A well tool releasable locking subassembly repeatably settable, while located subsurface, in each of a plurality of positions comprising a detent retaining means and detents carried thereby, a fixed member and a movable member, said detent retaining means comprising a generally cylindrical hollow sleeve with a central longitudinal axis, a plurality of passageways each extending from the interior surface of said sleeve through the thickness of the walls of said sleeve to the exterior surface of said sleeve, said passageways each providing a path through said wall normal to the central longitudinal axis of said cylindrical sleeve, said detents each being a movable detent having a circular cross section in each said passageway, each said detent having a greater thickness than said sleeve wall, saidfixed member having an interior wall closely yet slidably fitting the exterior surface of the wall of said generally cylindrical hollow sleeve, means in each said passageway preventing the escape of the detent therein from said passageway through the end thereof distant from said interior wall of said fixed member, a recess in saidinterior wall of said fixed mem- 'ber `adapted to receive a large portion of each said detent,

the total of the depth of said recess and the thickness of said wall of said generally cylindrical hollow sleeve member being at least as great as the thickness of each of said detents in V,each said passageway therefor, said movable member having a cylindrical wall with its outer surface slidably fitting adjacent to the interior surface of the Wall of said generally cylindrical hollow sleeve member, and an annular exteriorly open recess at an intermediate portion along the length of the outer cylindrical surface ofthe wall of said movable member, said wall surface'except for said recess being cylindrical, said recess -being adapted to Ireceive a portion of each of said detents, the total of the depth of said recess in said movable member and the thickness of said wall of said generally cylindrical hollow sleeve member being at least as great as the thickness of each of said detents in each said passageway therefor, and wherein said detent retaining means has a laterally projecting shoulder which extends over the top of said fixed member and is urged upwardly by a spring between the bottom of said detent retaining means and an upwardly facing surface of said fixed member to maintain said passageways in said generally cylindrical hollow sleeve out of registration with respect to the inwardly open recess in the interior surface of the fixed member wall and said movable member COI'DPISGS a Sleeve attached to a rope, and wherein said rope extends upwardly therefrom and, in combination therewith, a weight member encircling said rope and with an internal cavity open at both its upper and lower ends yand having at its lower end an opening greater than the external diameter of the movable member and said lower end of said weight member being engagable with the upper end of the detent retaining means and of sufcient weight to compress the spring to bring the passageways in said detent retaining means sleeve into registration with the opening of the inwardly open recess in the interior surface of the xed member wall.

2. Apparatus as in claim 1 wherein the detents are spherical in shape and the edges of the opening of each of the passageways in the detent retaining means at the end thereof distant from said interior wall of said xed member are spaced apart a distance less than the `full diameter of said spherical detent.

3. Apparatus as in claim 1 wherein the distance from the bottom of the outwardly projecting shoulder of the detent retaining means to the center of the passageways through said sleeve of said detent retaining means is substanti-ally the same distance as the axial distance of the center of the opening of the recess in the interior wall of the fixed member to the top of said xed member.

References Cited by the Examiner UNITED STATES PATENTS 1,706,481 3/ 1929 Chadderdon 24-123 2,060,403 11/ 1936 Sweet 166-239 2,255,333 9/1941 Scheiwer 285-277 X 2,292,711 8/ 1942 OConnor 24--123 2,330,258 9/1943 Baker 166--239 2,409,811 10/1946 Taylor et al. 285-277 X 2,429,202 10/ 1947 Estll et al 285-277 2,483,944 10/1949 Spang 24--123 2,637,402 5/1953 Baker et al. 166--120 3,032,359 5/1962 Cator 285--316 X CHARLES E. OCONNELL, Primary Examiner. 

1. A WELL TOOL RELEASABLE LOCKING SUBASSEMBLY REPEATABLY SETTABLE, WHILE LOCATED SUBSURFACE, IN EACH OF A PLURALITY OF POSITIONS COMPRISING A DETENT RETAINING MEANS AND DETENTS CARRIED THEREBY, A FIXED MEMBER AND MOVABLE MEMBER, SAID DETENT RETAINING MEANS COMPRISING A GENERALLY CYLINDRICAL HOLLOW SLEEVE WITH A CENTRAL LONGITUDINAL AXIS, A PLURALITY OF PASSAGEWAYS EACH EXTENDING FROM THE INTERIOR SURFACE OF SAID SLEEVE THROUGH THE THICKNESS OF THE WALLS OF SAID SLEEVE TO THE EXTERIOR SURFACE OF SAID SLEEVE, SAID PASSAGEWAYS EACH PROVIDING A PATH THROUGH SAID WALL NORMAL TO THE CENTRAL LONGITUDINAL AXIS OF CYLINDRICAL SLEEVE, SAID DETENTS EACH BEING A MOVABLE DETENT HAVING A CIRCULAR CROSS SECTION IN EACH SAID PASSAGEWAY, EACH SAID DETENT HAVING A GREATER THICKNESS THAN SAID SLEEVE WALL, SAID FIXED MEMBER HAVING AN INTERIOR WALL CLOSELY YET SLIDABLY FITING THE EXTERIOR SURFACE OF THE WALL OF SAID GENERALLY CYLINDRICAL HOLLOW SLEEVE, MEANS IN EACH SAID PASSAGEWAY PREVENTING THE ESCAPE OF THE DETENT THEREIN FROM SAID PASSAGEWAY THROUGH THE END THEREOF DISTANT FROM SAID INTERIOR WALL OF SAID FIXED MEMBER, A RECESS IN SAID INTERIOR WALL OF SAID FIXED MEMBER ADAPTED TO RECEIVE A LARGE PORTION OF EACH SAID DETENT, THE TOTAL OF THE DEPTH OF SAID RECESS AND THE THICKNESS OF SAID WALL OF SAID GENERALLY CYLINDRICAL HOLLOW SLEEVE MEMBER BING AT LEAST AS GREAT AS THE THICKNESS OF EACH OF SAID DETENTS IN EACH SAID PASSAGEWAY THEREFOR, SAID MOVABLE MEMBER HAVING A CYLINDRICAL WALL WITH ITS OUTER SURFACE SLIDABLY FITTING ADJACENT TO THE INTERIOR SURFACE OF THE WALL OF SAID GENERALLY CYLINDRICAL HOLLOW SLEEVE MEMBER, AND AN ANNULAR EXTERIORLY OPEN RECESS AT AN INTERMEDIATE PORTION ALONG THE LENGTH OF THE OUTER CYLINDRICAL SURFACE OF THE WALL OF SAID MOVABLE MEMBER, SAID WALL SURFACE EXCEPT FOR SAID RECESS BEING CYLINDRICAL, SAID RECESS BEING ADPATED TO RECEIVE APORTION OF EACH OF SAID DETENTS, THE TOTAL OF THE DEPTH OF SAID RECESS IN SAID MOVABLE MEMBER AND THE THICKNESS OF SAID WALL OF SAID GENERALLY CYLINDRICAL HOLLOW SLEEVE MEMBER BEING AT LEAST AS GREAT AS THE THICKNESS OF EACH OF SAID DETENTS IN EACH SAID PASSAGEWAY THEREFOR, AND WHEREIN SAID DETENT RETAINING MEANS HAS A LATERALLY PROJECTING SHOULDER WHICH EXTENDS OVER THE TOP OF SAID FIXED MEMBER AND IS URGED UPWARDLY BY A SPRING BETWEEN THE BOTTOM OF SAID DETENT RETAINING MEANS AND UPWARDLY FACING SURFACE OF SAID FIXED MEMBER TO MAINTAIN SAID PASSAGEWAYS IN SAID GENERALLY CYLINDRICAL HOLLOW SLEEVE OUT OF REGISTRATION WITH RESPECT TO THE INWARDLY OPEN RECESS IN THE INTERIOR SURFACE OF THE FIXEDMEMBER WALL AND SAID MOVABLE MEMBER COMPRISES A SLEEVE ATTACHED TO A ROPE, AND WHEREIN SAID ROPE EXTENDS UPWARDLY THEREFROM AND, IN COMBINATION THEREWITH, A WEIGHT MEMBER ENCIRCLING SAID ROPE AND WITH AN INTERNAL CAVITY OPEN AT BOTH ITS UPPER AND LOWER ENDS AND HAVING AT ITS LOWER END AN OPENING GREATER THAN THE EXTERNAL DIAMETER OF THE MOVABLE MEMBER AND SAID LOWER END OF SAID WEIGHT MEMBER BEING ENGAGABLE WITH THE UPPER END OF THE DETENT RETAINING MEANS AND OF SUFFICIENT WEIGHT TO COMPRESS THE SPRING TO BRING THE PASSAGEWAYS IN SAID DETENT RETAINING MEANS SLEEVE INTO REGISTRATION WITH THE OPENING OF THE INWARDLY OPEN RECESS IN THE INTERIOR SURFACE OF THE FIXED MEMBER WALL. 